Red oak vs. White Oak hardwood flooring – what’s the difference?
What is the difference between red oak and white oak hardwood?
Oak flooring is the most popular species of hardwood here in Westchester County NY and the northeast in general. Oak is a very practical wood, is readily available (grown and made in the US), very affordable and very easy to stain so you can find the color you prefer. But many consumers don’t realize that there are 2 species of oak – red oak and white oak flooring.
If you are installing new hardwood flooring everywhere, either red oak hardwood or white oak hardwood will work, and your choice will probably be dependent on which look/color you prefer as well as the price (the prices of red oak/white oak fluctuate, so in general there is not usually a major price difference, but this can vary slightly at any given time frame or based on the brand/grade/width of hardwood you are choosing.
If you already have oak flooring, and are adding additional oak flooring, you will want to match what you already have…that way, you will have a consistent look and wood will absorb the stain colors the same way. I’ve seen it happen too often where a customer (or contractor) has mismatched the wood with red oak in some areas and white oak in others. This means that your wood will never completely match – the graining will be different and the stain color will be different.
What’s the difference between red oak flooring and white oak flooring?
Red Oak flooring – select grade White Oak flooring – select grade
1. Color – red oak has a bit of a pinkish tint is a little bit lighter than white oak. White oak tends to be a bit browner, darker and more yellow. When you stain them, the difference between the 2 species decreases, especially the darker you go. With lighter stains, the red oak tends to have a bit of red undertone in the color.
2. Graining - red oak tends to have stronger graining than white oak hardwood. White oak has a bit of a smoother look. Some people prefer the strong graining of red oak – both because they like the look and because the strong graining helps hide the scratches and dents; other prefer the slightly smoother grain of white oak and feel it’s a less busy look.
3. Hardness – white oak flooring is a bit harder than red oak. On the Janka hardness scale, White oak is 1360 and red oak is 1290. But, as I mentioned above, even though red oak is a bit less hard, it tends to show the dents a bit less.
4. Compatibility with stair treads and accessories – Red oak is more common in stair treads, saddles, banisters and other transitions. If you have oak stair treads already in your home, chances are, they are red oak, so you may be better served matching that. If you need to get new stair treads or other transitions, they are usually more readily available (and hence lower priced) in red oak.
5. Price – In general, there is not a major price difference between red oak and white flooring. Because unfinished hardwood is a commodity item, the price tends to fluctuate weekly. At times, red oak costs more; at other times, white oak costs more. the price will often vary based on width and grade. And, very often, I have the red oak in 1 size as more expensive and white oak of another size is more expensive, and it literally changes all the time.
Please note that matching hardwood is a bit more complex than simply matching red oak vs. white oak. Also, there are differences in grades of hardwood flooring (e.g. select grade vs No 1 vs. No2 vs quartersawn). I will share this info in a future blog post. But, if you are unsure what type of flooring you have, it’s best to call in an hardwood flooring expert.
If you live in Westchester NY and would like to add hardwood flooring or refinish your hardwood floors, give The Flooring Girl a call at 914-937-2950 and let us “bring the store to your door.” (For out of state customers, please call 914-407-3899.)
You may also find these hardwood flooring articles helpful:
- Can you change the color of your hardwood floors?
- Hardwood flooring Stain Color Trends
- Oil vs. Water based polyurethane – Which is better for refinishing hardwood floors?
Westchester NY oak hardwood floors – red oak vs. white oak hardwood flooring.
TheFlooringGirl
My name is Debbie Gartner, and I'm known as "The Flooring Girl." I own my own flooring store that serves Westchester NY and Fairfield CT counties. We install hardwood flooring, carpet, tile flooring, laminate, bamboo and cork flooring. We also refinish hardwood floors. We are a shop at home flooring store. You can call us at 914-937-2950 to schedule a free flooring consultation or email us at FCI.westchester@gmail.com. Let us "bring the store to your door." If you are calling outside of Westchester/Fairfield Counties, please contact us at 914-407-3899.
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[...] more here: Red oak vs. White Oak hardwood flooring – what's the difference … Posted in: News & Videos Tags: floor sander, [...]
So, to settle a bet can you confirm that whtit oak is actually darker than red oak?
Yes, generally white oak is a bit darker than red oak. However, there is color variation in the boards, so some pieces will lighter and others darker, but overall white oak is a bit darker than red oak, and you can see that when there is no stain on it.
i’m deciding between White Oak Select or Better and Quarter Sawn, how much more per sq foot is quarter sawn? Is it worth it? What is your price for both. My floor is about 2100 sq ft.
Mike – Feel free to call us if you live in the Westchester area. The price varies week to week and I would need to call next week to get current prices.
Thank you for this nice article. I have a question however. I have red oak floor downstairs (was told it was originally red oak #1) and I am thinking of choosing hardwood floor for upstairs using finished wood. The downstairs floor had yellowed a bit since my house is 19 years old. When I compared several floor samples with my existing floor, the Bruce Dundee Dune plank which is a white oak seem to match with the existing floor. Is this okay to mix the flooring type red oak downstairs with white oak upstairs or would you recommend that I look for the red oak planks only? Thank you in advance for your response.
Amy – That’s a great question. First, let me explain what’s going on. Over time, wood darkens from light (just like our skin) and the polyurethane oxidizes and amberizes over time (turns a bit more yellow).
You have 2 options. First, you could choose the white oak for 2nd floor as it currently is a better color match vs. your downstairs. Or, you could choose red oak…and over time, it will look more consistent with what you have downstairs. I think it’s ideal if you can have the same type of wood everywhere if you can. That way, it generally looks more consistent and when you stain the floors, it will be more consistent as it will absorb and show the stain similarly.
If you put in new red oak upstairs, and then later refinish your first floor (which you will need to do eventually), they will be a closer match.
I do not, though, think it is the end of the world if you have 2 different types on the different floors (and I’ve seen it done before). I think it’s most consistent that you are consistent on each floor.
Also, not sure if you have oak treads on the steps, but most oak treads are red oak. I hope this helps.
[...] Here is a side by side of Select grade Oak vs. Number 1 Common (No 1) Oak. These are pictures of red oak flooring (the same principle applies to white oak flooring. Check out this article for more info on Red oak vs. white oak flooring. [...]
[...] are 2 species of oak – red oak and white oak. You can read more about the differences between Red Oak and White Oak flooring in this [...]
[...] if you have red oak flooring, these dark stains will drown out the inherent redness of the wood. If you already have oak [...]
I have a (70 year old) white oak floors in my kitchen. When the old linolieunm was pulled up we found a section that was damaged and needs to be replace. Can I use a red oak to patch the floor here? Will it be a big difference in color once the entire floor is stained?
Sissy – No, you should use white oak. If you use red oak, it won’t match. It will be a different color and the graining will be a bit different. White oak is very common and costs about the same as red oak, so your contractor should be able to get this.
And, yes, the patch work will show. If you do a dark stain, it will be less obvious, but there shouldn’t be any reason you or your contractor can’t get this.
[...] it will be a bit darker (because white oak is a bit darker than red oak – for more info on red oak vs. white oak hardwood). If you have maple, it will be a bit lighter; if you have pine, it will be a bit darker (and [...]
Wood color changes with exposure to light. Which oak, red or white, is less photosensitive?
Also, I have seen oak turn more yellow over time, is this a sign of white oak more than red.
Thanks!
I don’t think that either one is more or less sensitive to light, but yes they do tend to darken over time. Rather, it’s the polyurethane that has the bigger impact. The poly amberizes over time as it oxidizes. The way to reduce this is to use a water based poly rather than oil based poly. However, oil based poly lasts longer and has more depth.
very informative site! qq – i have red oak natural bruce flooring sterling prestige planks installed on the first floor of my house. i recently installed an unfinished red oak set of stairs. I was wondering if i need to stain the stairs before putting polyurethene on them to get them to match the existing flooring? was also wondering what products you would recommend and what you think of the combined products with stain and polyurethene in one?
Hi Bill. I’m not familiar with Sterling Prestige subline, but all that aside, I would ask you installer…you need to look at things visually to determine and I can’t see it. First, let me say that often, the stair treads are slightly different than the floors, as they are usually a slightly higher grade of wood. Second, when flooring is put in at separate times, the colors will be a bit off due to the wood aging/darkening as well as the poly oxidizing and amberizing.
Talk to your installer to get their opinion. You may want to do a light stain (e.g. neutral or golden oak) or they may be able to put an amberizing agent in the poly. This may be your best bet to bring it the closest. I hope that helps.
[...] these 3 stains seem to achieve that goal well. The above 2 pictures are ebony. Even if you have red oak flooring, these dark stains will drown out the inherent redness of the wood. If you already have oak floors, [...]
Does northern red oak have a different look than southern red oak. Does one look softer than the other, meaning that one have more pronounced grain than the other. Also , which stains darker?
Thanks,
Linda
Hi Linda. Good question, and the first time I’ve been asked that. I had to do a bit of research. Apparently, Northern Red oak = red oak (they are synonymous). Southern Red Oak is sometimes called Spanish Oak. I couldn’t find info online to see the pictures of the wood, nor get any good descriptions to compare the two. But, my guess would be that southern red oak is softer (i.e. less hard) than northern red oak in the same way that southern maple is softer than northern maple.
[...] are 2 species of oak – red oak and white oak. You can read more about the differences between Red Oak and White Oak flooring in this [...]
Hi Flooring girl!
Over the last week I have had floor guys refinishing my oak floors and adding there was none (just a subfloor) and where some had been damaged. My understand is that my oak floors are #1 grade, not Select.
Tomorrow they are supposed to put the final coat on the wood (they did a clear stain and one coat of satin polyuthane) but I am finding that ares are not really smooth, rough to the touch.
I don’t believe this is a function of the wood grade as my living room and dining have 63 year old oak floors, they were very smooth when we bought the house in 1999.
Do the guys just need to buff more? Or is this a function of the satin finish not being thick like the semi-gloss?
I like the matte look of the satin but it also doesn’t feel so smooth.
Advice please! Do I need to have my flooring guys take another buffing pass on the floors?
Is semi-gloss a better produce long term, than satin finish?
thx!
Hi Leslie – First off, the floor will not seem smooth until they apply the 2nd coat of poly. They are supposed to buff the floors before this coat, and after that, they should be smooth, regardless of grade of wood. If they still are not smooth, they may need to do a 3rd coat of poly (which would prob. cost extra). This is not usually needed, but sometimes when the wood is old it could need it.
[...] harder than the typical oak you traditionally see here in the US. On the Janka hardness scale, Red Oak is a 1290 while Brazilian Cherry is 2350 – almost twice as hard as [...]
[...] stronger graining are better for HIDING the scratches. Oak is a great example of this, especially red oak which has stronger graining than white oak. While Red Oak is only 1290 on the janka hardness [...]
Great post, Debbie, and great definition of the differences between white and red oak flooring. You are the go to girl.
Savannah – Thank you so much!
I am repairing an area of my oak floor. How can I tell if the original floor is red or white?
Michael – Sometimes, it’s challenging to tell. You need to look at the color and graining. Sometimes, you can remove a piece and look at from the side (where there is no stain)…or if you have registers in the floor that you can pick up and look at it. If you’re not sure, take the piece to a local flooring store and ask them. I hope that helps.
[...] stronger graining are better for HIDING the scratches. Oak is a great example of this, especially red oak which has stronger graining than white oak. While Red Oak is only 1290 on the janka hardness scale [...]